L13 - Operating Systems

• An operating system is a type of software
• TRUE
• Operating systems control the loading of software applications onto a computer
• FALSE
• All OS's offer user preferences, allowing you to customize your computer
• TRUE
• An operating system prioritizes the tasks that a CPU does
• TRUE
• The following devices have an operating system: An apple iPod, a Dell laptop computer, Nintendo Wii.
• TRUE

Job Shadowing

I was job shadowing Ann Vasko that works at SAS. She picked me up at my house at 8:40 and we drove to SAS building C first to go to the cafeteria. I got a Mushroom, Cheese and Turkey Sausage omelet. I got some water with it as well. Ann got another Omelet but instead of the sausage she got bell peppers in it. After that we got back in the car and she drove me around the buildings giving me a tour. The tour she gave me ended at around 10:00 and we went into her office on the 6th floor to show me where she worked and what she did. She had a big TV that she could hook up an HDMI cable to so that she could see on a larger screen. She had 2 monitors and she taught me about ORION for about 50 mins and then we had to leave to go to a 1 hour meeting. It was very interesting, the meeting started at 11:00 am and there were 9 people including me there. They talked about how in Europe in 2 years or so they are putting in place a law that requires people to give them permission to use their info for data, or contact updates, etc. They have a huge program that has everybody's data and they are trying to find a way to bypass the law or delete all the contacts in time. Apparently there are 4 million contacts that they have in total. The meeting was somewhat boring but bits and pieces here and there i found interesting. I payed attention mainly to the numbers and statistics of what they were talking about. The meeting ended at around 12:00 pm and then after that we went to got lunch in the same building (T) because we didn't want to go outside because it was cold and rainy. For lunch i got some BBQ with "Cowgirl" beans which is basically like baked beans but with some more vegetable or onions or something. It was very good and we sat with Ann's employees that worked for her. We talked about different topics here and there like retirement, school, jobs that are available, etc. It was all very interesting that i lost track of time and before i knew it, it was around 1:15. My dad was coming to pick me up at 1:30 so i would have time to get to DriversEd on time. We put our trays away on the tray belt and they cleaned it up for us because apparently SAS is extremely lazy. The link to the SAS website is www.sas.com, that's literally it. My dad came to pick me up like 10 minutes later and i thanked Ms. Vasko and left. So overall i wouldn't want to work there because i don't want a job of being in an office all day working on the computer 24/7. It was a good experience and i would go again just to see a different type of work within SAS that isn't on the computer in an office all the time.

Lesson 11- The Internet

• What is the internet?

The internet is the world's largest WAN. It has millions have smaller LANs in it. Everything you find online comes through the internet. Before the 1990's only a few people have ever used the internet. As of December 2011, 2 billion people used the internet. Now it is a lot more because the internet has become a source of information for multiple people in the world.

• What is a protocol?

Network protocols are rules for how computers in a network communicate with one another. They enable the connection, communication, and data transfer. The first network protocol was ARPANET in 1969. It was soon used for file transfers, email, etc. Around 1983 more protocols called TCP/IP was the standard that network used to swap data.

• What is DNS?

Translating domain names into the IP address that the internet used when locating a computer need the DNS or Domain Name Service. If we didn't have it, there wouldn't be any Internet communication. The DNS looks up a name and returns an IP address and the opposite can occur as well. Each part of the Internet has DNS servers and each computer has a specific DNS server. Some DNS servers only have a limited number of host names and IP addresses.

• Explain what an ISP is and what it does?

An ISP is an Internet Service Provider. It's an organization that provides service for your access to the internet. It can be organized in multiple forms to match the type of space they are trying to action. ISP's allows you to create personal websites as well that you can keep. Not many but some still offer dial-up connection. It connects networks to a larger network.

• What is a PING and Firewall?

PING sends test packets through the Internet and determines if the machine on the other end received that packets. It can tell whether your connection to another machine is working or not. It determines how fast or slow your computer connects to another machine or part. A firewall can be software or hardware. Most business manage and customize their own firewall to fit their needs of what is allowed on their network.
Connecting to the Internet
How Networks Link to the Internet:
The internet is connected of many smaller networks. They all communicate to one another so it more of networks connect to one another to create the internet and not the network links to the Internet. The smallest networks are ones that Internet users set up in their homes. It runs through the ISP and that connects it to other points of other networks. Backbones are large fiber optic cables and Routers move data between networks.
What Is an Internet Service Provider?:
An ISP helps individuals and companies connect to the internet. It gives you can email address, access to some storage, and maybe some web hosting services to help you. They allows customers to choose the type that best meets their needs. Dial up accounts used to be common but today DSL's and cable internet are the most common type of consumer connections. They can be made through copper wire in telephone lines, cable TV lines, or other wiring like fiber optic lines.
Connecting Your Computer to the Internet:
To connect a computer to the Internet you need a modem and ISP, you plug your computer into the modem and turn it on. DSL connections use phone lines but don't tie up the phone lines, ISP the connection is always on. DSL use the same lines that go to your TV, if you have a T1 connection, nobody else can use it. You can connect to the internet wirelessly on the computer. Instead of the modem connecting to the computer it connects to a wireless hub or router. One you connect to the ISP it will assign your computers it own IP address, it is a number that identifies itself on the Internet.